Benchers.] Benchers are the Seniors, to whom is committed the Government and Ordering of the whole Houfe; and out of thefe is chofen yearly a Treasurer, who receiveth, disburfeth, and accounteth for all Moneys belonging to the House.

Wtter-Barristers.] Utter-Barrifters are fuch, as from their Learning and Standing are called by the Benchers to plead and argue in the Society doubtful Cafes and Questions, which are called Moots (from Mooting, the old Saxon Word for the English, Affemble, or elfe from the French, Mot, a Word) and whilst they argue the faid Cafes, they fit uttermoft, on the Forms of the Benchers, which they call the Bar.

Readers of the Inns of Chancery.] Out of thefe Moot-Mex are chofen Readers for the Inns of Chancery, belonging to the Inns of Court, whereof they are Members; where in Term-time, and Grand Vacations, they argue Cafes in the Prefence of Attorneys and Clerks.

Inner-Barristers.] All the reft are accounted Inner-Barrifters, who, for want of Learning, or Time, are not to argue in thete Moots: And yet in a Moot before the Benchers, two of thefe Inner Barristers, fitting on the fame Form with the Utter-Barrifters, do for their Exercifes, recite by heart, the pleading of the Taid Moot-Cafe, in Law-French; which Pleading is the Declaration at large, of the faid Moot-Cafe; and one taking the part of the Plaintiff, and the other of the Defendant.

The Year alfo amongst them is divided into three Parts; the Learning Vacation, the Term-times, and the Dead or Mean Va

cation.

INNS of CHANCERY.

HE Inns of Chancery were probably fo named, because there dwelt fuchClerks as did chiefly ftudy the forming of Writs, which regularly appertained to the Curfitors, that are Officers of Chancery. The firft of thefe is call d Thavis-Inn, begun in the Reign of Edw. III. and fince purchased by the Society of Lincoln's-Inn, then New-Inn, Clement's-Inn, Clifford's-Inn, anciently the House of the Lord Clifford; Staple-Inn, belonging to the Merchants of the Staple; and Lion's-Inn, anciently a common Inn, with the Sign of the Lion, Furnival's-Inn, and Bernard's-Inn.

These were heretofore preparatory Colleges for younger Students, and many were entred here, before they were admitted into the Inns of Court.

Now they are for the most part taken up by Attorneys, Sollicitors, and Clerks, who have here their Chambers apart, and their Diet at a very calle rate, in a Hall together, where they

are.

are obliged to appear in grave long Robes, and black round knit Caps. Thefe Colleges belong all to fome Inns of Court, who fend yearly fome of their Barristers to read to these. In each of thefe Inns of Chancery, one with another, may be about fixty Perfons.

Mootings in the INNS of CHANCERY.

N the Learning Vacation each Utter-Barrifter, who is a Reader

Inn of Court, to the Inn of Chancery, where he is appointed to read, and there meet him commonly two of each Inns of Courts; who fitting, as the Benchers do, in the Inns of Court at their Moots, hear and argue his Cafe.

In the four Inns of Chancery that are fituated in Holborn the Moots are read, either by thofe of Gray's-Inn, or Lincoln's-Inn, the others by thofe of the two Temples.

In Term-Time, the only Exercife of Learning, is arguing, and debating Cafes after Dinner, and Mooting after Supper, in the fame manner as in the Vacation-time.

Serjeants-Inn.] Laftly there are two more Colledges called Serjeants-Inn, where the Common-Law-Student, when he is arrived to the higheft Degree, hath his Lodging and Diet; they are called Servientes ad Legem, Serjeants at Law, and are as Do&tors in the Civil-Law, only these have heretofore been reputed more Noble and Honourable; Doctoris enim appellatio eft Magifterii, Servientis vero Minifterii.

To arrive to this high Degree, take this brief Account.

Degrees by which they rile.] The young Student in the Common-Law,is admitted to be of one of the four Inns of Court, where he is called a Moot-Man, and after about feven Years Study, is chofen an Utter-Barrister; and is then in a Capacity to be made a Serjeant at Law, when His Majefty fhall be pleas'd to call him, which is in this manner.

Serjeants at Lam] When the Number of Serjeants is fmall, the Lord Chief Juftice of the Common-Pleas, by the Advice and Confent of other the Judges, makes choice of fix or eight, more or lefs, of the most grave and learned of the Inns of Court, and prefents their Names to the Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, who fends by the King's Writ, to each of them, to appear on fuch a Day before the King, to receive the State and Degree of a Serjeant at Law; at the appointed Time, they being habited in Robes of two Colours, viz. Brown and Blue, come accompanied with the Students of the Inns of Court, and attended by a Train of Servants and Retainers, in certain peculiar Cloth Liveries, to Wftminster-Hall, there in publick take a folemn Oath, and are cloathed with certain Robes and Coifs,

without which they may be feen no more in publick. After this, they feaft the Great Perfons of the Nation, in a very Magnificient and Princely Manner; give Gold-Rings to the Princes of the Blood, Archbishops, Chancellor, Treasurer, to the Value of 40 s. each Ring; to Earls and Bishops, Rings of 20 s. to other great Officers, to Barons, &c. Rings of lefs value, befides a great Number of Rings to private Friends.

Out of these are chofen all the Judges of the King's Bench and Common-Pleas; wherefore every Judge doth always wear the white Linnen Coif, which he had as a principal Badge of a Serjeant, and which he had ever the Priviledge to wear at all times, even in the King's Prefence, and while he speaks to the King; though anciently it was not permitted to any Subject to be fo much as Capp'd in the Prefence of the King of England, and now it is not allowed in the Prefence of the Pope, or of the Emperor, unlefs to a Cardinal.

a Judge made.] When any of the afore-mentioned Judges are wanting, the King, by the Advice of his Council, makes choice of one of thefe Serjeants at Law to fupply his Place, and conftitutes him by Letters Patents, Sealed by the Chancellor, who fitting in the middle of the rest of the Judges in open Court, by a Set Speech declares to the Serjeant, (who upon this Occafion is brought in) the King's Pleafure; and to the People the King's Goodnefs, in providing the Bench with fuch able honeft Men, as that Justice may be done expeditely, and impartially to all his Subjects; and caufes the faid Letters Patents to be read; and being departed, the Chief Justice places the faid Serjeant on the Bench, Junior of all the reft; and having taken his Oath, well and truly to ferve the King, and all his People in the Office of Juftice, to take no Reward, to do equal and speedy Juftice to all, &c. he fets himself to the Execution of his Charge.

And now in fome Things his former Habit of a Serjeant is alter'd; his long Robe and Cap, his Hood and Coif are the fame: but there is befides, a Cloak put over him, and closed on his right Shoulder, and his Caputium is lined with Minever, or de Minuto vario, divers mall Pieces of white rich Furr. But the Two Lord Chief Juftices, and the Lord Chief Baron, have their Hood, Sleeves and Collars turned up with Ermin.

Note, That out of the Serjeants afore-mentioned, the King by Writ, ufually calls fome to be of his Council at Law, allowing each one Wadage, Feodage, Vefturage, and Legardage ; thefe fit within the Bar in all Courts at Westminster, except in the Court of Common-Pleas, where all fit without the Bar.

HOSPITALS.

Befides Colleges, properly fo called, there are in this City many richly endowed Hofpitals, Alms-Houfes, Work-Houfes, and Houses of Correction. The most noted are, Sutton's Hofpital, or the CharterHouse.

A

Little without the Walls ftands this Colledge, or Collegi ate-Houfe called anciently the Chartreufe, now corruptly the Charter-Houfe, it being heretofore a Convent of Carthufian Monks, in French, des Chartreux; this Colledge, now called Sutton's Hofpital, confifts of a Mafter, a Governor, a Chaplain, and feveral other Officers; alfo a Master and Ufher, to inftru&t 44 Scholars, befides 80 decayed Gentlemen, Soldiers and Merchants, who have all a plentiful Maintenance of Diet, Lodging, Cloaths, Phyfick, &c. and live all together in a Collegiate manner, with much Cleannefs and Nearnefs; and the 44 Scholars have not only Neceffaries whilft they are here taught, but if they become fit for the Universities, there is alfo unto each one, out of the yearly Revenues of this Colledge, 207. yearly and duly paid for Eight Years after they come to the University; and to others fitter for Trades there is allowed a confiderable Sum of Money to bind them Appren tices; there are moreover all forts of Officers expedient_for fuch a Society, as Phyfician, Apothecary, Steward, Cooks, Butlers, who have all competent Salaries. The Revenue, and Princely Foundation, was the fole Gift of Thomas Sutton, Efq; a Lincolnshire Gentleman, and a Proteftant; and is fuppofed to be fo great,as cannot be parallel'd by the Charity of any one Subject in Europe, notwithstanding the great Boafts of the Roman Catholicks. The House coft him at first 13000 l. and the fitting up for this Purpose about 7000 l. more, in all 20000 l. and was endowed by him with 4000 l. per Annum, which is fince improved to near 6000 1. per Annum. The Founder died the 12th Day of December, 1611, and this his Foundation hath been ever fince kept entire, and maintained by its own Revenue, without admitting any other Addition of Charity to it, and was of fuch high Account, as it was thought fit, that by the King's Letters Patents under the great Seal, divers Perfons of the higheft Dignity and Quality in the Church and State, fhould always be the Overfeers and Regulators of this Society; their Number is to be fixteen, and all Vacancies fupplied by the Election of the remaining Governors.

In the Difpofal of the Governors, are the following Benefices.

Chelsea-Colledge, or the Royal Hospital for disabled Soldiers.

HE Royal Hofpital at Chelsea, in the County of Middlefex, founded by King Charles the Second; carried on by King James the Second, and now perfected by the late King William and Queen Mary, is feated upon a Piece of Ground, whereon a Building formerly ftood, which was defigned by King James the Firft, for a Colledge of Divines, to defend the Reformation of the Church of England, against all Oppofers; which Ground did efcheat to the King. It is about a Mile from the Suburbs of London, near the famous River of Thames, in a most wholfome Air, upon a rifing gravelly Ground, about fixteen Foot higher than the River, from whence it is abundantly furnished with wholfome Water, even to the top of the Fabrick, by a moft ingenious Machine, without the Labour of Horfe or Man; lately invented by a Shopkeeper of London.

The main Building is a large Square, whereof one fide is open to the River, which is about one hundred Paces diftant, and where is a moft commodious and magnificent LandingPlace: Of the other three fides, the Front-fide contains the Chapel and Hall, both very fpacious and noble Rooms. The two other fides being four Stories high, are divided into Wards, or Galleries, two in each Story, containing each twenty-fix diftin&t Apartments for the Foot-Soldiers. At each of the four Corners of this main Building there is a fair Pavilion, in one whereof is the Governors Lodgings, and the Council-Cham ber; the other three being fair Lodgings, for feveral of the Of ficers of the Houfe, both Civil and Military. In the middle of this great Court, is placed, upon a Marble Pedestal, a moft curious brazen Statue of the Founder King Charles the Second, at the Coft and Charge of Mr. Toby Ruftatt.

The Number of ordinary Penfioners is 476, befides the Officers of the Houfe, Matrons, Landrefs, Waller women, 45.6.

The